Being able to legally carry in other states is based on three pieces to the puzzle. The reciprocity piece, the “shall” v. “may” issue policy piece and one special scenario I’ll tell you about a little further down.

First, let’s deal with reciprocity…

Unlike Massachusetts, Utah has reciprocity, a formal agreement, to recognize gun permits with many other states. Those same states formally agree to also recognize Utah’s gun permits.Being armed while in those states is legally accepted.That’s reciprocity in a nutshell.

As for every state’s policy of “shall issue” or “may issue”, Utah offers a Non-Resident License under their “shall issue” approval policy even to residents of states that do not offer reciprocity (very fortunate for us in the Bay State)!This means if you meet the requirements, Utah “shall issue” the license to you. This is quite different from Massachusetts “may issue” where the local chief law enforcement official has discretion to issue, or not to issue, your requested license.

So, what is special about Utah?

Good question. Here is an excerpt from the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification:

“Do I have to be a Utah resident to obtain a concealed firearm permit?

No. Any U.S. citizen or legal resident (with the intent to reside in the United States) may obtain a Utah concealed firearm permit, providing they meet the minimum qualifications.”